Bringing the thousands of fans who flocked to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup would not have been possible were it not for the visionary introduction in 2008 of the Vula Skies airlift plan by the Department of Transport.

While it certainly wasn’t an Open Skies international aviation policy, Vula Skies was aimed at renegotiating bilateral air services agreements to increase air access to South Africa from both regional and international countries. Previously, the primary aim of the government was to secure the position of the country’s national carrier, South African Airways.  This hampered attempts to liberalise air access to South Africa. The new strategy meant that SAA no longer “impinged” on the ability of privately owned entities to operate fairly. The Tourism Sector Strategy (open for comment until July 31) addresses the role SAA should play in future. It says that SAA needs to be turned into a national carrier supporting the national interest or more open skies to allow for full competition on routes serving South Africa. Says the strategy: “SAA has been commercialised and, as such, acts to maintain and maximise profitability, which is not always in the national or tourism industry interests.” It points to national carriers in developed tourism destinations like Spain where these are run not for financial return but operated at a modest profit or cost to taxpayers to support the national interest. In its action plan, the strategy goes on to suggest that SAA’s role as a national carrier, commercial flag carrier or independent airline should be addressed.
 
Since the launch of the Vula Skies campaign, airlines like V Australia and Jet Airways have launched new routes to South Africa. Existing carriers like Qantas, KLM and Delta have expanded their services. And tens of international air charters were operated successfully into the country over the 2010 World Cup. But despite these bilateral air service agreements being in place, it doesn’t mean all airlines will find the South Africa route commercially viable. Airlines have to work with all parts of the tourism value chain to ensure the route is profitable. If flights into South Africa from various markets are lacking, or are expensive or inconvenient for potential visitors, it prohibits or deters them from visiting South Africa. Therefore addressing the issue of international airlift between South Africa and key source markets is critical to achieving these tourism objectives. The cost of airport taxes and other charges, says the strategy, should also be addressed as part of this issue, as the actual fare may often be lower than the taxes that have to be paid. International airlines have for sometime bemoaned the tariff hikes proposed by Acsa, saying this will position South Africa’s airports among the most expensive in the world to operate in. The strategy suggests that to achieve the country’s tourism objectives, the sector should attempt to maximise airline industry support. What do you think? Send your comments to the National Department of Tourism at strategy@tourism.gov.za well ahead of the July 31 deadline.
 
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Previous articles on the sector strategy are available below.